Control mechanism for doors



lOct. I25, '1927.

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ATTORNEY Oct. Z5 1927.

E. B. SMITH CONTROL' MmcHANrsu Foa Doons 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTQR Fznz mzz BVZM ATTORNEY Filed Dec. 11, 1922 f Thisfinvention relates'to'doors and partic'ularly to doors ot' the type used in elevatorI hatcliways and like structiires. f 's isfwll yknovvn itis veryimportant that all hatchvvay or tire doors be kclosed in case of fire. VIt yalso desirablethat means Abe Patented Oct. 25,`

nznA B. SMITH,y or

'trojvidea fory herding fopen under predetermined lconditions 'such7 for instance, yas When an elevator car 1s option 15 is provided `or `eaclr 'd` `o 3 "r openin pozie ,landing- T 'isfinvention has v t'o' provide automatically operable heatresponsive meaiis for releasing open hatchway doors in case of fire.

kvide an automatically sive alarm device.

VAnother object of provide means ,finconjunction 4with mechanismfor latching doors in open position, for releasing said mechanism in case of a dangerous` rise in temperature.

Furtlir ob]- cts or vpearwfrom the following description taken in connection withthe drawings Which form par@ of this appr@ Fig. 1 isa Sectional elevation of an elevator hatchvvay sho hatchvvay doors.

and also the alarm d junction therewith.

Fig. 1 is atransve Fig.y 5 is a transve taken substantially on line` 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a transve taken substantially on line 6@6 otFig. The invention briefly described comprises a heat responslvemeans operable in conjunction ivith mechan inopen position for releasing said latchingy mechanism whereby. t

. matically closed in ca in temperature. The invention also includes analarm device soconstructed and arranged that an alarm/Will be given under the con IFig. 2 is .a ysectional elevation of one. side ofthe hatchvvay shownin Fig. 1.

3 is an enlargedelevation showing themechanisml Jfor latching doorsopen Aand the automatically operableL heat responsive` releasing` device for the latching mechanismL or MOUNTAINVILLE, NEW YORK.

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.M i N WV 1*. w1- ff.' Application led Decemberll, 1922. Serial No. 606,277.

are, Closed.

or latching the doors these rsections beingiovable for as salient Object operable heat respon-v the invention is to' tron,

the invention will ation and in which,

Wing a pluralityf of evice operable in conrse sectional elevation rse sectional elevation rse sectional ielevation l ismjfor latching doors he doors will be, auto-v se kof a dangerous rise "In the pa rtimlary lform of the i shown an upper section 141 anda; lo

er to Closed position' andbein" from each other to open po's VReferring mais afg-wings .there is sii-emr in Fig. 1 ka portion of elevato c xl0 having a plurality' f sets A oijoloolst Awa AB located at different l'o'r levels 12 and ily nd kthe other section l5 has ya latch e'ggiiig Another obj-ect of the invention is to pro- Il ieliiber 17. DoorsA are ShWl, CVS

' and doors Bare shown as o Y 'doors are moved I to closed psition the latch 16 is" automatically swung into latching posi- As the The hatchviay doors may be colinlvl nl anced yin any suitable `irannerand one s tisfactory arrangementfconsists in malgiii the upper section 14 heavier than thelovv sec- Heen 15 5 0 that when thesecnons afejgrueed after having. been latched in openy Vposition they will automatC allvclose.` The tvvo doors or' each set areconnectd cable secured lto. the lower-edge oftheupper section as ,shovvnuat 19 and [to a 'brackethsecured tothe upper edge ofthe; lovver l`section as shown v`at 20. The intermediate por- 4.tion of the cable 18.pas`s'es overfa sheave v21 Y mounted i111 the, hatdvey 011, i like@ Support. It i-sdesirable that only onepair of doors or door sections beopened tt-,onetime and in Fig. 1 the sect-ionsB are shovvnas open and the ksections A as closed. .1t- Will beob-` .viousthat the upper section `B) vill,prevent the lowerv section of the doors located above the, landing 12V from opening and the lower lsection B will prevent the upperhdoorgsfecrtion atthe landing below landing 13j from opening, as all of the sectionsare guidedhin the same vertical plane. Mechanismis provided lt'or each set of doors for latchingthe doors in open position and particular attention is directed toF ig. nwhereinthe de-y tails Lot this .construction are shown. l,The latching mechanism comprises@ disc 730; eccentrically pivoted at 3,1 to a lixed .support 32 molllted inthe hatchwar Th'e'idisc l30 has. secured thereto-an arm 33 and a latch" 34k is pivotally secured at 35 to the upper end of the arm 33. The latch is normally swung to the position shown in Fig. 3 by a spring i 36a`nd isllimited in its movement in a clockada ted toyengage abracket 38 projecting' Wise direction by a stop lug 37 engageable with one edge of the arm 33. The latch 34 latera ly from one edge of the lower door section l5 and the descending movement of this section is limited by a stop lug 39 secured in the hatchway and'` disposed in the path of the bracket 38'. A slight clearance is preferably provided between the latchmg position of the bracket 38 and the lug 39.

The `normal or inoperative position of the latching mechanism is illustrated m Fig.' 1A in connection with the mechanism `ad]acent` the floor level 12. From the showing re- 'ferred to it will be seen that the arm 33 isV inclined away from the doors. This is due to the eccentric pivoting of the disc and to the location of the center of gravity in sucha manner that the disc willV be swung in this inclined position when freely movable about its pivot. Means has been provided howeverfor moving the latching mechanism toA operative position as the lower section Aof the doors is moved to its open position.

This engagement of the strip on the lower door section with the roller 4l on the disc 30` will swing the disc 30 about its pivot 3l to the position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the latch 34 is engageable with the bracket 38 carried by the section 15.

Means has been provided for automatically releasing the latching mechanism when theelevator car leaves the floor level either ascending or descending. This means com- `prises a-gpair of rollersfor studs 42 projecting laterally'frorn one edge of the elevator car and disposed in the path of the pivot pin 35 of the latch 34 when the latch is located in latching `position as shown in Fig.

"3'. `Assuming that the doors opposite an elevator landing have been opened bythe car operator, and latched open, as soon as the car is `startedin either direction one of `the rollers or studs .42 will engage the pin "35 therebyswinging the arm 33 and disc 30 about the disc pivot 31 in a clockwise direction, thus releasing the latch 34 from the 1i bracket 38 and permitting the doors to close.

`It will be evident from the description in the preceding paragraph that when the rollers or studs 42 release the latch of an open door the latch remains in retracted position as the spring 40 is moved out of contact with 2 theA pin 41 by the door movement.

manner noise andwear andtear on the latch Vis avoided.` Furthermore, the rollers 42 do 1 not cont-act with the latch asv the elevator platform passes closed doors and for this In this reason useless movement of the latch is prevented and noise and wear and tear are eliminated. In other words, the latch moves to operative position only when it is `needed to hold 'one of the hatchway doors open. At

all other timesV the latch is in inoperative position and is disposed out of the path of movement of the rollers .or studs 42.

The heat responsive means for automatically unlatching the latching mechanism will now be described. This means consists prmarily of a weight Vsuspended by a chain 51 from a fusible link 52, the opposite end of the link being connected by a chain 53 to a fixed support 54. VThe downward movei ment of the weight 50 is limited byA a stop pin 56 disposed in anelongatedA slotY 57 formed inthe weight. Y i

The weight 50 acts `to releasev theylatching mechanismthrough the agency of a lug 58 extending laterally from the weight and engageable `with an arme59 secured to the disc 30 and disposed' in thepath ofthe lug 58. Y I

The swinging movement `of the fdisc 30 about its pivot 31 is limited by aheaded `stud 6() secured to the fixed support 32 and disposed in a notch 61 formed in the periphery of the disc.`

` yThe heat responsive releasing means operates as follows. When adangerous rise in temperature takes place the fusible link will be melted thereby dropping the weight 50. As the weight drops the lug 58 carried thereby will engagethe arm 59 carried by the disc 30, thus swinging the disc about its' pivot 3l in a clockwise direction andreleasing the latch 34v from the bracket 38 carried by the door section 15. l' i An alarm device has been provided for sounding an alarm whenthe dangerous rise 1n temperature takes place and the releasing means for thev latching mechanism becomes operative. This device inthe particular `embodiment of the invention shown consists 'of an alarm vcircuit 7 Oincluding a pair of contact terminals 71 and A72.` The terminal 71l is preferably formed ofresilient material and is normally held in raised position and out of engagement with the terminal 72 by means of the weight 50 the upper end of which engages a downwardly extending portion 73 of theterminal 71.4 Vhen the weight 5() 1s dropped after the fusible link 52has been melted the terminal 7l will contact with for alarming the operator or caretaker when` such an event takes place. Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and idescribed, it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and that changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts door biased to close, mechanism, normallyy disconnected from the door and disposed in ment of unlatching position, for latching the door in open position, means engageable with 'said latchinrr mechanism and operable upon movethe door to open position to move said mechanism from its unlatching position to its latching position when the ydoor is open and means controlledby a heat controlled element for moving said latching mechanism to unlatching position.

2. In combination, a slidable hatchway door biased to close, mechanism, normally disposed in unlatching position, for latching the door in open position, means engageable with said latching mechanism and operable upon movement of the door to open position to move sai-d mechanism from its unlatching position to its latching position when the door is open and gravity actuated means controlled by a heat controlled element for moving said latching mechanism to unlatching position.

3. In combination, a movable hatchway door biased to close, mechanism, normally disposed in unlatching position and out of engagement with the door, for latching thel door in open position, means engag-eable with said latching mechanism and operable upon movement of the door to open position to move said mechanism from its unlatching position to its latching position when the door is open and means controlled by la fusible link for moving said latching mechanism to unlatching position.

4. In combination, a movable hatchwayV door biased to close, mechanism, normally disposed in unlatching position, for latching the door in open position, means engageable with said latching mechanism and operable upon movement of the 'door to open position to move said mechanism from its unlatching position `to its latching position when the door is open and means including a weight suspended by ka fusible link and engageable with the latching mechanism for releasing said mechanism.

5. In combination, a movable hatchway door biased to close, pivoted latching mechanism, normally disposed in unlatching position, for latching the 'door in open position, means engageable with said latching mechanism and operable upon movement of the door to open position to move said mechanism from its unlatching position to itsv latching position when the door is open and means including a weight suspended by a fusible link and engageable with the latching mechanism to swing said mechanism on its pivot and release said mechanism from latchi-ng position.

6. In combination, a movable 'door biased to close, latching mechanism, normally disposed in unlatching position, and adapted to latch the door in open position, means movable with the door and engageable with ksaid latching mechanism to move said mechanism to latching position and heat controlled means including a weight for releasing sai-d latching mechanism from the door, said latching` mechanism having a portion disposed in the path of movement of said weight and engageable thereby.

7. In combination, a movable door biased to close, latching mechanism arranged to hold the door in open position, normally disposed in inoperative position, means carried by the door for moving said mechanism to operative latching position and heat responsvie means including a weight and means on the latching mechanism engageable thereby for moving saidlatching mechanism out of latching position.

8. In combination, an el-evator,a movable hatchway door biased to close, latching mechanism arranged to hold the door in open position normally disposed in inoperative position, means carried by the door for moving said mechanism to operative latching'` position, means actuated by the movement of the elevator car away from an open hatchway door opening for releasing the latching mechanism, and heat responsive means in'- cluding a weight for moving said latching mechanism out of latching position.

9. In combination, an elevator, a movable hatchway door biased to close, latching mech-V anism arranged to hold the door in open position normally disposed in .inoperative position, means carried by the door for moving said mechanism to operative latching position, means actuated by the movement of the elevator car away from an open hatchway door 'opening for releasing the latching mechanism, and heat responsive means including a weight and means on the latching mechanism engageable thereby for moving said latching mechanism -out of latching position. f

In witness whereof, I have hereunto setV my hand this 7th day of Dec., 1922.

' EZRA B. SMITH.

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